page_title: Striped Raphael catfish
section_title: In the aquarium
hierarchical_section_title: Striped Raphael catfish / In the aquarium
caption_attribution_description: Platydoras costatus
context_page_description: Striped Raphael catfish is a catfish of the family Doradidae. It may also be called Southern striped Raphael, talking catfish, chocolate doradid, chocolate catfish or thorny catfish. It is native to the Amazon, Paraguay–Paraná and lower Orinoco basins in South America. This peaceful, nocturnal species is a popular aquarium fish due to its pleasant temperament and curious nature.
  This catfish has long been confused with Platydoras costatus of Suriname and French Guiana, where the pale stripe on the body does not extend onto the head.
context_section_description: The striped Raphael catfish is a fine and sociable community fish that are peaceful to fellow catfishes and other fish species. However, they are nocturnal, and are usually not visible during the day.
  It is best not to catch the striped Raphael catfish with a fish net because they are prone to sticking out their pectoral fin spines in a very rigid manner, especially if stressed. Untangling these spines from a net is difficult and dangerous to both handler and fish. Alternative methods should be used.
  Although known as a spawning fish, sexual differences are unknown and there have been no reports of being successfully bred in captivity. Because of this, these fish must be wild-caught, and therefore contaminants sometime occur in the hobby, such as Orinocodoras eigenmanni, which differs in a longer snout.
  The Raphael catfish will make some grunting/squeaking noises while out of water.
  Although generally sociable with other fish, sometimes this fish can feed on smaller fish so take care when introducing one to an established tank.
caption: Striped Raphael catfish in an aquarium.
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